School seat and desk



(No Model?) 7 2 SheetsSheet 1.

W. J. PERKINS. 4

SOHOOL SEAT AND DESK. N0. BMQQZ, O Patented Jan. 26, 1886.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. PERKINS.

SCHOOL SEAT AND DESK. No. 334,802. Pat 26, 1886.

NlED mares PATENT Prion.

XVILLIS J. PERKINS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SCHOOL SEAT AND DESK.

F5PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,802, dated January 26,1886.

Application filed May 14, 1885. Serial No. 165,491.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIs J. PERKINS, of Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in School Seats and Desks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improvement in school seats and desks.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce an economical seat; second, to provide a construction not easily broken; third, to make the seat adjustable in height; fourth, to make the desk adjustable in height independent of the seat upon a fixed support, so that the desk can be set at any desired point on the standard when the structure is set up fifth, to provide a limited adjustment capable of being operated by the occupant at will; sixth, to provide means for adjusting the inclination of the desk at the will of the occupant; seventh, to provide an improved lid, as hereinafter explained; eighth, to make the desk easily removable from the standard on which it is supported.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, looking at back of seat. Fig. 3 is atop plan; Fig. 4, a plan of angular adjusting cam-lever; Fig. 5, a plan of lug supporting weight of desk 5 Fig. 6, a plan of seat-supporting casting; Fig. 7, a front elevation of seatsupporting casting Fig. 8, a side elevation of seat-supporting casting. Fig. 9 represents the standard in section.

Heretofore the standards of school seats and desks have been commonly composed of castiron or wood, but in my improved seat I employ wrought-iron standards in the form of what is known as double-T iron. Thelower part of the standard (marked D) is split through the center of the Web, thus forming legs d d, shaped in section like ordinary T- iron. These legs may both be spread outward, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or one may be brought down straight, as shown in dotted lines in the same figure at d (2 The lower ends of the legs may be bent out to form proper connections with the floor.

The seat B is made of wood or any suitable material, and is fastened to brackets E. The

(No model.)

lower end of the supporting-arm of this bracket is pivoted to a lug, F, which is attached to the front leg, d, of the standard D, one at each end of the seat. Thelug is formed with flanges ff, as shown at Fig. 6, fitted to embrace the flanges of the front leg, d, the lug being introduced by slipping it over the top of the standard, on which it is held firmly by a cotter-key, f, when suitably located. A series of holes are formed in one of the flanges forthe reception of the cotter-key, so that the lug may be set and held at any required height. This may be done by the janitor or any person who sets up the seats, and when the key is introduced and properly set the seat cannot readily be tampered with by unauthorized persons. The seat may be varied in height, however, according to the requirements of the occupant when it is taken possession of. The bracket E has a rear extension, h, in which is inserted a wooden plug, H, and when the seat is in the position shown in Fig. l the plug H bears against the inner face of one of the flanges of the forward leg, (1, and limits the movement of the seat in a forward direction, thus supporting the seat rigidly in an easy position for the occupant. It will be observed that the bracket is pivoted to the lug on the inside of a pivot, 2, and this pivot extends inward far enough to allow the seat to be swung back between the supporting-standards. The plug G may also be inserted in the upward extension of the bracket E, being arranged so as to strike the front surface of the front leg and limit the backward movement of the bracket; or, instead of this, the plug H may be arranged to strike the rear of the front leg below when the bracket is tipped back. The plugs may be plain wooden plugs, or they may be covered with felt or rubber. The back of the seat A is of any desired material, and is secured properly to the front surface of the upper part of the standard.

The desk t consists of a suitable rectangular box having lids, as hereinafter described. The box is fitted to pass within the standards D D against the back of the seat next in front. It is connected to the standards or posts by means of boxes L L, which boxes are adapted to slide down in the channel in the standards. In

these boxes are pivots fixed to the upper end of diagonally-arranged straps n, which serve the double purpose of braces to the box and a pivotal support. The pivots may be set, if preferred, in a piece of wood, m, on the top of the box. By this method of attaching the box to the standard the front of it may swing up or down,tovary the inclination of the top, which forms the desk. The bottom of the box rests upon a cam-lever, O, which is pivoted to the box and bears with its cam-face against the back A. The cam-lever extends to the front, as shown at O, and may have catches O, to hold it in position.

It will be apparent that the box is supported in horizontal position at three pointsnamely,

' at the pivotal points L L and at the bearingsurface of the cam-lever 0 against the back A. The inclination of the box may be varied by simply turning the lever 0. With a camface having a free gradual rise, the cam-lever 0 will hold itself in position by frictional contact; or any desired number of stops may be used. WVithin sufficient limits any possible degree of movement can be obtained.

As the journal-boxes L L simply slip into the grooves in the standards, it follows that they may be shifted up and down at will, or that'they may be lifted out all together and the box removed from its position on the standards. The weight of the box is sup ported upon the levers R R, (shown in Fig.

2,) pivotally attached on brackets secured to the bottom of the box. These levers are connected to each other by bolt It", passing through a hole in one lever and through a slot in the other. One lever has an extension, 1', adapted to the knee of the occupant of the desk. The

ard.

other ends of these levers rest upon brackets C O, which are fastened by cotter-keys O O, which may be inserted in any one of the series of holes in the rear flanges of the stand- (Shown more clearly in Fig. 1.) The brackets may be adjusted by the proper persons with suitable tools, and the desk thereby set at a proper height to suit the occupant; but this does not interfere with the easy removal of the boxes, which may be lifted off from the levers at will. The lever Rextends past the bracket on which the other lever is pivoted, and it may be held at any desired position on said bracket by projections s. In this way the occupant by effort with the muscles of the leg may raise the desk or lower it at will by simply pulling the lever B forward slightly off from the projection s, and then lifting the lower end of the lever B.

The top of the desk is formed by a double lid, K K, by means of a rod, K, the rod being fastened in a stationary part of the desk- ;top m, and in an iron strap, K near the front .side of the desk. cithat only one side can be raised at a time, and

The joint is preferably such then to a point at right angles to the other.

.1; .The main point in this consists in pivoting .of the desk, instead of lying parallel to the the lid on a line at right angles to the length desk. This pivot may be placed at the end,

especially in short desks, instead of the middle. If pivoted in the middle, asuitable joint may be made so as not to leave a crack. The lid, when so pivoted, cannot be used by the scholar to obstruct the view of the teacher.

It will be observed from the description heretofore given that the desk-box may be entirely removed from the standard. This allows the room to be used for other purposes than a school-room, and when the boxes are removed the seats are available as ordinary seats, and as convenient, and the seating capacity may be enlarged by placing boards from seat to seat across the aisles. The standards are of wrought-iron and are light and strong, and this form renders them very cheap. At the same time the. form is convenient for the purpose and the connections explained.

I am aware that desks and seats have been made heretofore vertically adjustable, and I do not broadly claim a vertical adjustable desk; nor do I claim, broadly, a desk in which the angle of inclination may be adjusted, such being also old.

I claim as myinvention 1. The boxes adapted to slide in the channel of the standards, a desk pivoted on its rear and upper part to said boxes, and a support for the bottom of the desk, whereby the desk is supported upon two points, substantially as standards, and straps a, secured to the desk and pivoted to the said boxes, substantially as described.

4. Combined with the channeled standards,

the desk connected thereto by sliding boxes,

and the levers B Rnvith bearing-brackets adjustably fixed to the standards, substantially as described.

5. Combined with the desk, the channeled supporting-standards, the sliding boxes L L, attached to the desk by pivotal connection, and mechanism, substantially as described,for raising, lowering, and holding said desk, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the desk, the box connected to the standards by vertically-adjustable connection, and the levers R R, pivoted on suitable standards fixed to the bottom boxes vertically movable in the supporting- I of the box, having their outer ends resting in brackets fixed to the supporting-standards of the desk, one of said levers being adapted to be acted upon by the leg of the occupant, whereby the seat may be raised, substantially as described.

7. In combination with the front bent, legs of the desk, standard-lugs upon each of said legs having projecting pivots, a seat-bracket pivoted thereon so as to swing freely between the legs, and the plugs G H, extending laterally from two points on the seat-bracket, so as to limit the movement thereof by the said plugs striking the flanges of the legs, substantially as described.

8. In combination with the standard of the desk or seat, brackets or arms adapted to support a seat or desk having flanges adapted to embrace the standard and adapted. to slide thereon, and cotter-keys, adapted to engage with said flanges and any one of a series of holes or notches in the standards, substantially as described.

9. In combination with a school-desk box, a cover pivoted to said box on a line at right angles to the length of the desk, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with a desk pivoted to supporting-standards at or near its upper surface and having its lower part swinging freely,of a cam-lever pivoted to the bottom of the desk and bearing against the seat-bacl ,whereby the inclination of the desk may be varied, and the catch for holding it in position, substantially as described.

11. Combined with a schooldesk box, a cover therefor, consisting of two partshinged to the box on the center line at right angles to the length of the desk, substantially as described.

-12. The combination, with a pivoted desk vertically adjustable on flanged supportingstandards, of the supporting-lugs O, fitting the flanges of said standards and having keys registering with holes in the flanges of the standards, whereby they may be adjusted and secured at suitable points, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIS J. PERKINS.

WVitnesses:

ARTHUR O. DENISON, F. W. STEVENS. 

